


Haven’t You Noticed That I’m a Star

by rebel_ren



Series: Drabbles Against Despair [13]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: AU where everyone's human, Blogger Alec, First Meetings, M/M, Pop star Magnus
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-28
Updated: 2020-03-28
Packaged: 2021-02-28 16:33:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,425
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23370250
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rebel_ren/pseuds/rebel_ren
Summary: No one gets why Magnus is so excited about this upcoming interview, and Magnus doesn't really know how to put it into words. The anonymous blogger behind Idris Press justgetshim, and Magnus can't wait to meet them.
Relationships: Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood
Series: Drabbles Against Despair [13]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1666300
Comments: 10
Kudos: 161





	Haven’t You Noticed That I’m a Star

**Author's Note:**

  * For [A_Taupe_Fox](https://archiveofourown.org/users/A_Taupe_Fox/gifts).



> Title from the Steven Universe song ([link](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=shcSkBph_n4)) because it's catchy as hell and also because I can't help but picture Magnus doing/singing this:  
>  _I can't help it if I make a scene  
>  Stepping out of my hot pink limousine  
> I'm turning heads and I'm stopping traffic  
> When I pose, they scream  
> And when I joke, they laugh  
> I've got a pair of eyes that they're getting lost in  
> They're hypnotized by my way of walking  
> I've got them dazzled like a stage magician  
> When I point, they look  
> And when I talk, they listen ___
> 
> Prompt (from the lovely Taupe): "A popstar meeting their favourite Radio show host?"
> 
> While this is not exactly what you prompted, I hope you like it!  
> 

Magnus looked in the mirror, checking his makeup (perfect as always) and outfit (fly as hell). He flashed a smile in the mirror and called goodbye down the hallway to the invisible Chairman as he headed out the door.

Magnus might be a little vain, but there was a reason for it today. He had an interview. And not just _any_ interview. One with Idris Press.

To be honest, not many people understood his excitement over this interview. Magnus was kind of a big deal in pop music, known for his catchy tunes, his flashy outfits, and his love of spontaneous gestures during his shows. He’d been interviewed a thousand times, been asked every question under the sun, done photoshoots galore.

So (as Magnus’ publicist Ragnor had asked him at least three times this week), why was Magnus making time to talk to someone who ran a random little blog? And why in the world was he _nervous_ about it?

The reason was simple.

Under all the flash and the glamour, Magnus was a musician at heart. He didn’t just want to write songs that got stuck in people’s heads; he wanted to make music that _moved_ people.

Since he was never particularly good at self-control, Magnus had given up on trying to stop himself from reading album and single reviews. Like one might expect from the internet, there were supporters and detractors and those in between.

Idris Press was somewhere in between. Their reviews were not always positive, but each one was thoughtful and insightful. The writer always seemed to see something of Magnus. Something of what Magnus had been feeling, something of what he’d been trying to convey, even when the writer didn’t think he’d done it successfully.

Over the years, Magnus had come to look forward to the Idris Press articles on his new music, valuing the writer’s feedback over most other news items and reviews. He felt _seen_ by this person, whoever they were. That was the other thing. Idris Press’ writer kept their identity a secret.

And after all this time, after singles and albums and tours, Idris Press had contacted Magnus, requesting an interview. Magnus hadn’t been able to believe it, and he still couldn’t believe the writer had taken him up on his offer for a face-to-face meeting.

Now, though, Magnus wondered if it had been wise. He was _nervous,_ and he was a person who didn’t get stage fright or shrink from talking to the press. After just returning from a tour playing to packed arenas, it somehow seemed particularly ironic.

It was just… if this person really did _see_ him in the way Magnus thought they did… what if they didn’t like what they saw when they actually met him?

Magnus arrived at the agreed-upon cafe and took a seat at a booth in the corner. He fidgeted with the fringe on his leather jacket - just because he was going relatively casual didn’t mean he could do without drama entirely - then checked his phone, getting lost in scrolling through emails as he waited.

“Mr. Bane?”

Magnus looked up… and up and up to the face of the man who stood beside the booth. Holy hell, he was tall. And really attractive. Like, _really_ attractive.

“That’s me,” Magnus said with a smile, holding out a hand.

The tall man looked at his hand for a moment as if he didn’t know what Magnus expected, then reached out and shook it.

“Oh, sorry,” the man said as he released Magnus’ hand. “I, uh… I’m with Idris Press.”

“Well, it’s lovely to meet you,” Magnus said, gesturing to the seat opposite, which the man took.

“So, what would you like me to call you?” Magnus asked. “I know that you take your privacy seriously, so I can use any name you like. Or I can make something up, if you prefer.”

It was a ludicrous request, but Magnus just felt like the man looked ill at ease, and he wanted to help him relax, because dammit, Magnus wanted this to go well. Even more than he had five minutes ago, though he tried very hard not to think about the reason behind that.

The man’s eyebrows rose. “Oh,” he said, seeming caught off guard. “No, that’s okay,” he said. “My name’s Alec. Alec Lightwood.”

“Well, Alec Alec Lightwood,” Magnus said with a smile, aware that he was being both ridiculous and probably slightly flirty but not entirely sure how to stop himself. “I must say that I’ve been looking forward to this.”

Alec laughed, and though the sound was lovely, it wasn’t nearly as distracting as the way his eyes crinkled at the corners, the way his smile lit up his whole face. And it seemed like Magnus’ ploy was working. Alec’s shoulders didn’t seem so stiff, and he smiled more easily across the table at Magnus.

“Me too,” Alec said. “Even if I don’t understand why you agreed to meet with me.”

“You don’t?” Magnus asked, surprised. “I can tell you, if you like.”

“Please,” Alec said simply, opening up his messenger bag to pull out a laptop, a small voice recorder, and a pen and notebook.

“Would you like me to wait til you’re recording?” Magnus asked, finding himself unaccountably fascinated by the man’s process. Unlike the many other interviews he’d done, he felt like he had no idea what to expect from this conversation, and he found he rather liked that.

“That would be great,” Alec said, opening his laptop and turning his notebook to a fresh page before turning the recorder on and sliding it a little further across the table toward Magnus.

“Well,” Magnus said with a smile. “I agreed to this interview because I see something in your writing that I don’t see in other articles and reviews.”

“Wait, you _read_ my blog?” Alec asked, looking utterly astonished at the thought.

Magnus laughed. “You thought it was just my publicist telling me what interviews to take or something?” he asked. “Sorry to disappoint, darling. I jumped on the request. I’ve been a follower for years.”

“Oh,” Alec said, blushing slightly. “That’s… I had no idea. Wow.”

Magnus smiled. “Well, I have a bit of a problem about reading press about my albums,” he admitted easily. “But your reviews are… different. There’s just something about them. You look _deeper._ You seem to… see me, see my intentions in my music,” he said. “And that intrigues me.”

The colour in Alec’s cheeks deepened. “I... I just write what I hear,” he said quietly. “What I think you mean from the words.”

“But the thing is,” Magnus said, leaning forward. “You’re _right._ Not every time, but… more often than most others. By a long shot.”

“Well…” Alec said, “Maybe… I have an understanding of you because… we have certain things in common…”

WIth halting words and plenty of encouragement from Magnus, Alec told his story. The bullying, the pressure at home. How he’d felt he couldn’t come out for years and years. How his parents had treated him when he did. How his siblings had supported him.

And in turn, Magnus told his own story. He told Alec things that were far more personal than he’d told other interviewers.

“Wait,” Alec said as Magnus began a story. He reached across the table and turned off the recorder. Magnus looked down at the recorder in surprise. He’d quite forgotten this was anything other than a conversation with a beautiful, interesting, like-minded queer person.

“I just… some things shouldn’t be in my article,” Alec said softly.

Magnus looked at him for a moment. “Thank you,” he said, equally caught off guard and touched by the gesture. It took some gentle prompting from Alec before he remembered to continue the story he’d been about to tell.

They talked for hours, completely losing track of time. And even when Magnus’ phone lit up with insistent texts from Ragnor, he was reluctant to leave.

“Look,” Magnus said, deciding to lay his cards on the table. “I hope… that you won’t see this as something weird or creepy, but… I’d really like to get to know you better.”

Alec blushed a little and gave Magnus a sunny smile. “I’d like that,” he said. “How about we exchange numbers and… see where it goes from there?” he suggested.

In the end, no article was ever published of that interview, but Alec always said that he won the lottery. After all, none of Magnus’ previous interviewees had gotten a husband out of the deal.

**Author's Note:**

> Oh noooo I'm all out of prompts! Let me know if there's something you want to see me write :)


End file.
